Category Archives: Section

Is the Addition of a Larger Police Presence to Urbana Schools a Human Rights Violation?

Posted on 06/05/2020 by Cara Munro

On February 4, 2019, I was in class at Urbana High School when a student came in and said there were students fighting in the hall and a teacher had been knocked out. My teacher quickly locked the door and … Continue reading →

1,988 total views

Posted in Education, Education, Police, Section, Students, Voices | Comments Off

Struggles against Global Aquaculture: Ongoing Conflict between Coastal Communities and Fishmeal Factories in The Gambia

Posted on 06/05/2020 by Fatou Jobe

In June, 2018, I protested alongside locals to plead with the Gambian government to mitigate the ongoing conflict between a fishmeal factory and Sanyang village residents. The Nassim factory processes sardinella into feed stock, a flour-type material, for the Chinese … Continue reading →

1,631 total views

Posted in Africa, Food Insecurity, International, International, Section | Comments Off

The Pandemic and Pro Wrestling

Posted on 06/04/2020 by Neil Parthun

In the November, 2019 Public i, I wrote about one of the earliest gig economies: professional wrestling. There, independent pro wrestler David Starr discussed the incredibly imbalanced power dynamics of the corporate wrestling scene in America. While watching corporations and … Continue reading →

1,017 total views

Posted in Labor, Labor/Economics, Sports | Tagged COVID-19, Pro Wrestling | Comments Off

Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center Offers Digital Venue Space and Community with its Sounds Like Community Web Series

Posted on 06/04/2020 by Nick Goodell

The UC-IMC has always been a popular venue space for performances of all kinds, from spoken word poetry to live music, to art shows, plays and much more. But when the pandemic struck, the IMC Board of Directors was forced … Continue reading →

1,006 total views

Posted in Arts, Community, Section | Comments Off

Public Speaks Out About Use of Force by Urbana Police–Council Reviews Police Investigation

Posted on 05/08/2020 by Jane McClintock

On April 10, Urbana police responded to a call on East Colorado Avenue about an armed man and possible shot fired. Police arrived, frisked an uninvolved youth, and then focused on a man and woman they suspected were involved. … Continue reading →

15,606 total views, 1 views today

Posted in Police, Policing, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Comment from ACLU to Urbana City Council Regarding Aleyah Lewis’ Arrest

Posted on 04/26/2020 by Carol Spindel

Champaign County ACLU appreciates the city of Urbana’s commitment to community-centered policing and to maintaining a well-trained professional police force that is held to the highest standards. We are concerned about the lack of professionalism during the April 10 arrest … Continue reading →

1,362 total views

Posted in civil rights, Police, Policing | Tagged ACLU, Police Violence | Comments Off

The Trump Administration Just Opened a New Immigrant Prison in Rural Michigan

Posted on 03/18/2020 by Brian Dolinar

From his office at the Cristo Rey Church in Lansing, Michigan, Oscar Castañeda runs a campaign against a new federal immigrant prison, part of President Donald Trump’s escalation of immigration enforcement. In May, 2019, the Trump administration awarded a ten-year, … Continue reading →

Posted in Immigration, incarceration | Comments Off

This Month from the Archives

Posted on 03/18/2020 by Kathryn La Barre and Courtney Richardson

Established in 2000, the UCIMC was one of the earliest nodes in the Indymedia network, representing an anti-globalist and anti-corporate agenda. With the motto “don’t hate the media, be the media,” along with tools, training, and support, Indymedia encourages citizen … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, UCIMC | Comments Off

Fighting for the Soul of Public Education

Posted on 03/18/2020 by Stephanie Fortado

The administration of the University of California, Santa Cruz announced on Friday, February 28 that it would fire fifty-four graduate instructors who are on strike at the University. The announcement comes as the latest move in a nation-wide wave of … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Labor, Labor/Economics | Comments Off

University and High School Students Collaborate to Host September 20th Climate Strike

Posted on 12/24/2019 by Anya Kaplan-Hartnett

Between September 20 and 27, over 6000 protests took place in 185 countries as part of the Global Week for Future. Students walked out of classes, workers went on strike, and millions gathered to demand climate justice and take action … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Students, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Comments Off

Homewrecker: Trump, the Kurds, and the Grand Strategy We Have Been Waiting For

Posted on 12/24/2019 by Janice Jayes

Donald Trump’s October decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria took his own advisors by surprise, not to mention the Kurdish military units that were U.S. partners in the war on ISIS during the past five years. Perhaps the only … Continue reading →

Posted in International, International, Middle East, Syria | Comments Off

Being the Unreasonable: Educating Highly Marginalized Girls to Change the World

Posted on 11/02/2019 by SwaTaleem Foundation

Seema is a 12-year-old Dalit girl from Bihar, one of the poorest states in India. In the social hierarchy, Dalits in India belong to the lowest strata, often devoid of education and job opportunities, and have compromised rights. On one … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Education, Girls, India, Poverty, University of Illinois | Comments Off

Anti-Austerity Protesters in Ecuador Win Some Concessions, But Unlikely to Prevent Further Unrest or Repression

Posted on 11/02/2019 by Mark Weisbrot

The government of Ecuador reached an agreement on October 13 with leaders of the protests that had rocked the country for the previous two weeks. The deal, which included the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), is a retreat … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign Policy, International, International | Comments Off

Bolton is Out! But Imperialist Aggression Against Iran is Still In

Posted on 11/02/2019 by Nick Goodell

On September 10, National Security Advisor John Bolton was fired from his post at the White House. With one of the staunchest advocates for US imperialism now out of the Trump administration, some were optimistic that the warmongering and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign Policy, Imperialism, International, Middle East, Politics | Comments Off

Opposition to the Proposed ICE Dwight Detention Center Continues.

Posted on 06/13/2019 by Janice Jayes

Efforts to halt the construction of a 1200-bed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Dwight, Illinois continue at both the state and local level. The proposed facility would be built and operated by the Virginia-based, for-profit prison company … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Human Rights, incarceration, Refugees | Comments Off

Need for System Change

Posted on 06/13/2019 by Karen Aram

The time is long past due for American citizens to realize that our political and economic systems are untenable. Trump is awful, no question there. And for those who continue to support the Democratic candidates as the lesser evil—fine, that’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, Foreign Policy, Immigration, Imperialism, Politics | Comments Off

Welcome to the IMC

Posted on 05/08/2019 by Karen Medina

Come in. I am writing to invite you deeper into the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center. I lead a lot of tours of the IMC. Some of you know more of the history than I do. The IMC has been around, … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, UC-IMC | Comments Off

Securitization in the Heartland: For-Profit Immigration Detention

Posted on 04/12/2019 by Janice Jayes

Dwight, IL, Population 4200. On March 11 the Dwight Village Board voted to move forward with the construction of a privately owned $20 million ICE detention facility on the edge of the town, which is 75 miles north of Champaign-Urbana. … Continue reading →

Posted in Immigration, incarceration | Comments Off

Vietnam Today: Did Anyone “Win” the Vietnam War?

Posted on 04/12/2019 by Al Kagan

Going to college during the Vietnam War transformed my life. Because of my sheltered upbringing, I was rudely awakened. I learned the meaning of imperialism, and with that the lack of justice at home in a class- and race-based hierarchical … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Vietnam War | Comments Off

For a World Without Borders

Posted on 03/12/2019 by Tariq Khan

Speech by Tariq Khan at the UIUC Ayuda Rally at Anniversary Plaza, November 29, 2018. UIUC Ayuda was a student group/campaign to raise awareness about and material support for the Central American caravans made up of people seeking asylum. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Alt-Right, bigotry, Immigration, Indigenous, Land, Refugees, University of Illinois | Comments Off